CITES CoP20
The 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to CITES was held in Uzbekistan from 24 November to 5 December 2025.
Changes to international wildlife trade regulations were considered at CoP20, some of which may affect Australian businesses. Read more about the outcomes of CoP20.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement to protect animals and plants. It helps make sure that trading listed species does not harm their survival.
CITES came into practice on 1 July 1975.
Australia has been a Party to the agreement since 1976. Today, there are more than 180 Parties.
We are responsible for Australia's implementation of CITES. The agreement is enforced under our national environmental law.
Species listed under CITES
Approximately 5,600 animal species and 30,000 plant species are listed under CITES.
Both commercial and non-commercial trade of CITES listed species, and their products, are regulated. Examples of regulated items include:
- high-end fashion goods (such as crocodile, python and snake leather)
- traditional medicines (such as bear bile, tiger bone and ginseng)
- marine species (including shark fin)
- scientific specimens (including live monkeys and monkey blood specimens)
- live animals being transferred between zoos
- live plants, timber and cut flowers (including sandalwood, orchids and ferns)
- personal hunting trophies
- tourist souvenirs (including corals and clam shells)
- musical instruments (such as rosewood fret boards found in guitars, and ivory used in pianos and bagpipes).
Species are grouped in 3 appendices:
- Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction due to international trade.
- Appendix II includes species that are not yet threatened but could be if trade is not regulated.
- Appendix III includes species threatened in certain countries only.
View the full list of species on the CITES website.
Australian regulation of CITES species
CITES is legally binding. Parties are required to put national legislation into place to enforce requirements.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) enforces CITES requirements here in Australia.
We manage enforcement with support from the Australian Border Force and the Australian Federal Police.
View the full list of CITES-listed species on the CITES website. Search for species on the Species+ database.
Australia has imposed extra requirements on trade in certain CITES-listed species. More information on these requirements is below under ‘Stricter domestic measures’.
Find out more on the CITES website.
Stricter domestic measures
CITES does not limit countries from making stricter rules than what CITES requires. Australia has adopted a range of domestic measures that impose extra requirements. In some cases, Australia further restricts trade in CITES-listed species.
| Stricter domestic measure | Description |
|---|---|
| Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) | Cetaceans are treated as if they are listed on Appendix I to CITES. |
| Elephants |
All elephant populations are treated as if they are listed on Appendix I to CITES. Read more: Elephant and rhino trade. |
| Lions |
All lion populations are treated as if they are listed on Appendix I to CITES. Read more: Stricter domestic measure to regulate the import and export of African lion items. |
| Rhinoceros | Strict rules on rhino specimens, including hunting trophies. New trophies cannot be imported. |
| Declared specimens |
Declared specimens may only be imported commercially if they have been sourced from an approved program, such as a Commercial import program. Declared specimens are:
|
| Import permits |
To bring species listed on Appendix II to CITES into Australia, importers must obtain both:
|
| Specimens always requiring a permit |
Some species listed on Appendix II to CITES always require a wildlife trade permit for import into Australia. Personal and Household Effects exemptions do not apply to these species. Australia does not allow any exemptions to requirements for wildlife trade permits for imports of the following species:
|
Exporting CITES-listed species
To export a CITES-listed species, an exporting country must check that trade will not harm the survival of the species in the wild. This determination is described as a 'non-detriment finding'.
To assess this, Australia considers factors including:
- conservation status of the species
- management arrangements in place
- scale of harvest and trade
- whether trade is for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
More information is available on the non-commercial and commercial trade pages.
CITES in Australia
Parties to CITES must designate authorities to implement the requirements of the convention.
We are Australia’s CITES Management Authority and CITES Scientific Authority.
The CITES Management Authority is responsible for implementing the convention. It is the only body able to grant import and export permits on behalf of Australia. It also communicates with the CITES Secretariat and other countries about CITES matters.
The CITES Scientific Authority is responsible for providing technical and scientific advice to the Management Authority. The CITES Scientific Authority also makes non-detriment findings.
You can contact Australia’s CITES Management Authority and Scientific Authority.
Conference of the Parties
The 185 parties to CITES are collectively referred to as the Conference of the Parties (CoP). Every 2 to 3 years, the CoP meets to review the implementation of CITES. They:
- review progress in species conservation
- update species listings
- discuss reports and proposals
- decide on measures to improve effectiveness
- support the functioning of the CITES Secretariat.
Only member countries vote on decisions at the CoP.
The next CoP (CoP21) will occur in Panama City, Panama in 2028.
Standing Committee
The Standing Committee guides the Secretariat on policy and manages its budget. It oversees committees and working groups, and drafts resolutions for the CoP.
Members represent 6 regions:
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- Central and South America & Caribbean
- Oceania.
New Zealand currently represents Oceania, with Australia as an alternate.
Animals and Plants Committees
Both an Animals and Plants Committee were established. Their role is to fill gaps in biological and other specialised knowledge about species of animals and plants that are (or might become) subject to CITES trade controls. The Committees:
- review species
- give scientific guidance
- recommend actions if trade is harmful
- draft resolutions.
Members come from the 6 regions and include specialists on naming species. Australia represents Oceania on both the Plants Committee and Animals Committee.
Applying for a permit
You can apply for a permit to import or export a specimen of a CITES listed species.
To find out if you need a permit, visit Do I need a permit?
Permit applications are usually processed within 40 business days.